Historic winter storm blasts eastern U.S.

Much of the eastern United States is recovering from a massive winter storm that achieved historic snowfall totals.

Winter Storm Jonas dropped up to 30 inches of snow in some areas and accounted for at least 37 deaths. Forty-two inches of snow were recorded in Glengary, W.V.

About 250,000 customers suffered power outages. Seven states and Washington, D.C., declared states of emergency.

Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina issued temporary and limited hours-of-service exemptions for haulers of specific essential items, such as fuel, food, water or medical supplies.

Aaron Jones, an OOIDA member and truck driver for Chase Trucking, said his hometown of Bruceton Mills, W.V., received more than 3 feet of snow. Jones said he made it home Friday before the weather got too bad and did not work over the weekend.

“I was driving Friday morning, but it was just kind of spitting snow,” Jones said on Monday morning. “It didn’t really hit here until about 5 p.m. Friday. When I got back home, it was just starting to cover up the roads. We wanted to be home before it got too bad.

“I haven’t ventured out any. We should be back to work tomorrow.”

According to reports, people in about 500 vehicles were stranded for 24 hours on the Pennsylvania Turnpike after several trucks jackknifed near the Allegheny Tunnel.

In New York, about 30 inches of snow fell in 24 hours.

Jonas accounted for the most snowfall on record at several locations in the East. Those locations included Allentown, Pa. (31.9 inches), Baltimore (30.2), Harrisburg, Pa. (30.2), LaGuardia and JFK airports in New York City (30.5) and Newark, N.J. (27.9).

The National Weather Service forecasts that accumulating snowfall will move into the Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes on Monday, Jan. 25 and Tuesday, Jan. 26.

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